The Steelers have released punter Brad Wing from the practice squad, meaning that punter Pressley Harvin III is in line to return from his hamstring injury following the bye week. In two games with the team, Wing averaged 45 yards per punt with three punts downed inside the 20. Overall, it was a solid showing for Wing, who had not been on an NFL field for six years before Pittsburgh gave him a shot. He now has tape to find a way back into the league potentially.
Wing got his life straightened out and returned to football this spring, playing for Hines Ward’s San Antonio Brahmas of the XFL. He led that league in punting average and had the longest punt of any player.
“I loved it, man,” Wing said. “I thought my football days were over, I thought I’d never play again, so I was just really grateful to be out there playing, and having Hines Ward just made it a whole lot sweeter.”
He was one of several players the Steelers tried out at punter since letting Braden Mann go at the end of the preseason. He said he wasn’t surprised that the Steelers were the team to give him another shot. Before suffering his hamstring injury, Harvin had the best stretch of his entire career. Harvin boomed punts in Las Vegas, averaging a stunning 53.8 punt yards average.
With his turnaround, Harvin is someone Pittsburgh needs to look at to continue his upward trend. It will be huge for the Steelers’ sputtering offense as they try to find traction. It allows the defense to pin their ears back and make plays with teams pinned deep into their end. It opens up the cache for several things. So, what Harvin brought to the table over the two games before his injury is invaluable for the Steelers.
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